Sunday, January 10

The Syrian military is a fast learner; they're now making the most out of their outmoded aircraft. When one adds the latest boffo strike to the string of victories, this past week has been tough sledding for the bad guys in Syria (and their, uh, benefactors). Why, they've even taken to turning on each other with greater frequency. Pardon me while I do a little dance around the computer:

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian warplanes tracked and targeted a long convoy of the militant groups' trucks, carrying equipment and spare parts of oil facilities in the Eastern part of Deir Ezzur province, the army said Sunday.

"A 20-truck convoy, loaded with spare parts and equipment of oil facilities, was targeted by the Syrian fighter jets on a road along the highway heading al-Mayadin town in the Eastern territories of Deir Ezzur province," the army said, adding, "Almost the entire trucks were damaged in the airstrikes."

On Friday, the Syrian Army announced that its troops and popular forces fended off another major offensive of the ISIL near Deir Ezzur airbase, and killed at least 33 more terrorists.

"The ISIL launched an offensive at the Deir Ezzur airbase around the Southeastern perimeter of this large military base in Eastern Syria," the army said.

"Launching their preliminary assault from the strategic hilltop of Tal Kroum near the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River, hundreds of the ISIL fighters stormed the Syrian army's frontline positions at the Southeastern perimeter of the airbase, where they attempted to break past the first line of defense of the government forces and reach the security outposts," the army added.

"However, the ISIL's offensive was short-lived, as the Syrian army alongside the National Defense Forces (NDF) fought off the terrorists attempting to bypass their first line of defense near Tal Kroum," the army went on to say.

"The ISIL lost 33 fighters during their massive assault on the Syrian army’s defenses; these losses – coupled with the government forces advance at the Al-Thayyem Oilfields – have made this week a disaster for the terrorist group," the army went on to say.

The Syrian Army troops and their popular allies inflicted tens of casualties on invading ISIL militants after their positions around Deir Ezzur airbase came under massive attacks by the terrorist group for a second day on Friday.

"The ISIL terrorists carried out an approximately large-scale offensive against the government forces' positions from the villages of al-Mura'yeh, Haweija Saker, al-Jafreh and Dagheem to crush their defense lines and open their way into the strategic airbase of Deir Ezzur," provincial sources said on Friday.

"The army and its popular allies mainly from [ahem] the NDF thwarted the attack and forced the ISIL to retreat forces from the battlefield after leaving behind scores of casualties," they added.

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